Page 301 - Foundations of Learning, 4th Edition (Revised)

READING

Applying the Writing Methodology
Student writers: John, Lindsey, Ken, and Jenn

The focus of this activity is to apply the first six steps of the Writing Methodology, creating a draft for a
two to three-page college essay. Your instructor may ask you to write an argument or expository essay that
explains your topic. Note that the student examples presented below work equally well for either kind of
essay. Following these six steps, the tasks for this activity are as follows:

1. Prepare for writing. Either by yourself or with others, formulate ideas for a topic about which
you will write; classmates can be very helpful in focusing your ideas at this stage.

The instructor has asked the following students to talk about their ideas in a small group.

wants to explore his interests; he has heard about something called “Creative Commons,”
which is a non-profit organization devoted to expanding the range of creative works available
for others to legally build on and share.

wants to argue that speaking a second language makes all students better learners in all
areas. She believes that students should start taking a second language in elementary school.

wants to understand more about the concept of “community policing.” He thinks that will
fit his personality and the needs of his community.

is really interested in the locavore movement. She would like to explain this in more detail
to her classmates, in hopes of persuading them to join this movement.

2. Identify a specific topic: the purpose of the topic and the intended audience.

The group has the following questions and suggestions for each other:

needs to define “Creative Commons” clearly for his classmates. Would he want his designs
used by others, for example?

has been asked by the group to explain what languages she feels would be most useful and
why. And, given that there are so many budget cuts, how would language classes be paid for?

Chapter 11 — Writing in College 295